


Merlin's Magical Mocha-Making Machine

by Camelittle



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Blind Date, Community: merlin_writers, Flirting, M/M, Unresolved Sexual Tension, dragons in disguise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-19
Updated: 2013-09-19
Packaged: 2017-12-27 00:59:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/972444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Camelittle/pseuds/Camelittle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin’s new coffee machine exceeds expectations.  </p><p>  <b>Written for this FML prompt on merlin_writers: </b></p><p>Today, I had a coffee date. The guy was waiting with coffee to meet me on the patio. I walked up to him, caught my favourite pendant necklace on the table, broke the necklace trying to get it free, and rattled the table so intensely that the guy's coffee spilled all over him. FML</p><p>Rated Teen-and-Up as a precaution, for strong language and outrageous flirting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Merlin's Magical Mocha-Making Machine

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the awesome September "Coffee Shop" Challenge theme of the month on "merlin_writers". Many thanks to the mods for creating this challenge. 
> 
> Especial thanks for archaeologist_d for the insightful beta.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I'm just playing with them for a while. I won't be earning any money for my endeavours.

Merlin’s showing Freya how the new coffee machine works when a good-looking guy enters the shop. Merlin elbows past Freya in his haste to serve.

“Americano, black, please,” says the customer, “with an extra shot of espresso.”

Merlin drags his jaw off the floor in time to flash him a flirtatious grin. “I see you like it hot, dark and bitter,” he says. “Like my ex.”

The guy’s gaze fixes on Merlin’s mouth. Merlin licks his lips, looks him slowly up and down, and smiles. He’s richly rewarded when a deep flush stains the guy’s chiselled cheeks.

“I… I… well, yeah, I mean no. I’ll have some sugar.” He smirks and leans forward. Merlin can feel the puff of his breath against his cheek. “I prefer it hot, skinny and sweet, actually. Like you.”

It’s Merlin’s turn to blush, which he does, embarrassingly, to the tips of his ears. “I’ll just… I’ll bring it over and give you a shout when it’s ready. Your name?”

The guy chuckles. “Arthur,” he says. He turns away, shaking out a copy of “Metro”, and walks out onto the patio. Merlin enjoys the spectacle of his retreating rear.

“Holy fuck,” Freya breathes. “He’s lush.”

The coffee machine emits gentle hisses and approving gurgles while Merlin prepares the drink. Merlin pats it fondly and heads out through the open patio door.

“Coffee for Arthur,” he calls.

He strides over to Arthur’s table. When he hands over the coffee, their fingers touch for a moment. Merlin lets them linger before releasing the cup.

Arthur purses his lips. It’s an inviting sight. When Merlin beams at him, he’s gratified to see Arthur’s eyes widen, and to be on the receiving end of a predatory smile.

“Thanks,” says Arthur, raising his cup and looking at Merlin’s mouth. His tongue slides across his bottom lip like a promise.

“Any time,” says Merlin, gulping, and trying not to catch Freya’s eye, because she’s pulling faces and making really embarrassing thumbs-up gestures. “I’m Merlin, by the way. If you need anything else, just give me a shout.”

Arthur raises a suggestive eyebrow. “Anything?”

“Anything at all.” Merlin flutters his eyelashes and smiles. "I have many talents." Arthur swallows.

Merlin starts to walk back to the counter, because Mr G. could be here any time, and he really doesn’t want to lose his job.

“Oh, Merlin?” says Arthur. Merlin turns back. “You never told me how you like it.”  
  
Arthur’s smirking at him. Merlin considers this question for a moment and walks back to him. He puts his fingers on Arthur’s warm forearm, and leans in so that his lips are almost touching Arthur’s ear.

“I hate coffee,” he whispers. He can see fine hairs move with his breath. He hopes it tickles. “But if I did like it, I think I’d probably go for… blond, muscular, pert-buttocked, and uptight. If such a coffee existed. I think I might enjoy tasting it.” He pulls away, bites his bottom lip and eyes Arthur’s pretty mouth. “Quite a lot.”

“I’m not sure coffee has buttocks, _Mer_ lin” says Arthur, blushing while he toys with his teaspoon.

As he walks back to the counter, he can see Arthur reflected in the patio window. He’s definitely checking out Merlin’s arse. Merlin twitches his hips a little. Arthur drops his teaspoon and curses loudly.

Merlin’s feeling quite pleased with himself until Freya nudges him.

“Look out,” she says. “Trouble.”  

Merlin glowers at the man who has just walked in. It’s Cenred. The coffee machine growls menacingly, whirring and grinding beans.

“Shit.” Merlin fumbles for a tea towel, wipes his hands. “Why does that tosser keep coming back?” 

“Want to take a break?”

“No. I’m not going to let that bastard get me down.”

This is ridiculous. Three times in the last month, Cenred has brought a date into Merlin’s shop in a transparent attempt to make Merlin feel jealous.

He taps the coffee machine’s shiny chrome surface, and is rewarded with an angry spurt of steam. Freya chuckles.

“It’s almost like it can talk,” she says.

“It’s great,” says Merlin, ridiculously proud of his shiny new toy. “I mean, all Dragon-brand coffee machines are fantastic, but this new Kilgarrah model is so responsive. I feel like it almost knows what I want it to do before I do. It’s like it’s prescient.”

When Cenred comes to the counter, he’s typing into his phone. Probably tweeting something. He tweets about a hundred times a minute, instead of actually talking to people. Cenred’s a self-absorbed dick.

“Ah, Merlin,” he says, all surprised-looking. “How lovely to see you. Well, this is a little awkward. I’m meeting a date here.”

He chuckles, mock-self-consciously. As if he had no idea Merlin worked there.

Dick.

“Sir.” Merlin resists the urge to punch Cenred in the face. He goes for dignified professional detachment instead.  

Unfortunately Cenred didn’t get the memo. “I see you’ve still got this dead-end job,” he says, eyes narrowing in spite. “Such a pity.”

“I see you’re still wearing that creepy pendant,” Merlin says. Screw professional detachment. He looks around to check that Mr G. isn’t listening to him insulting the customer. “Such a wanker.”

Cenred scowls.

“This, precious, is not just a pendant. It’s an amulet. It has powerful properties.” He adopts the constipated expression he gets when he’s trying to look devilish. Merlin feels a bit sick.

“You could do with one of these, darling,” Cenred adds. “It enhances sexual performance. It might help you loosen up a bit, enjoy sex a bit more.”

Merlin’s mouth drops open, aghast at the injustice of this statement. “Sex is about giving, not performance. And there’s no magical amulet powerful enough to make me enjoy sex with a selfish, self-absorbed dick like you.”

“Meow,” says Cenred, pouting. But Merlin can tell he’s rattled.

Freya taps Merlin on the shoulder and puts her finger to her lips. Merlin frowns and then looks up. He blushes, mortified, when he realises that Arthur’s been listening to this exchange with interest.

He clatters about, muttering under his breath about “bloody cheek” and prepares Cenred’s mocha. He manages to make the fern-shaped pattern that usually tops the drink resemble a cock and balls. He sniggers to himself. The coffee machine hums its approval.

“There you go, _sir_ ,” he says, casually slipping some foreign coins in with Cenred’s change.

But Merlin loses his equilibrium entirely when he sees where Cenred is headed. His mouth drops open.

“Bloody hell, Freya,” he hisses through his teeth. “He’s only gone and got himself a coffee date with the gorgeous Arthur. I thought I was well in there!” Merlin hurls his drying cloth to the floor, frustrated. He stands with his hands on his hips and frowns as he watches Cenred approach Arthur’s table on the patio.

Cenred stops and gets his phone out.

“Smile, gorgeous,” he says to Arthur. He looks up to check that Merlin’s watching. “You’re going on Twitter, honey!” He leans in, puts his hand round Arthur’s shoulder, and snaps a self-portrait of the two of them. Arthur looks like a startled deer.

“Look, darling,” he says showing Arthur the picture. “My followers will love this.” He starts thumbing his phone. “Ooh look!” he adds, chuckling. “I’ve got another ten followers today.” He primps his hair, a smug expression on his face. Arthur and Merlin exchange a wordless glance.

The coffee machine lets out an indignant hiss, loud as a steam locomotive. So loud, in fact, that it makes Cenred, who’s still fiddling with his phone, jump.

His pendant catches on the coffee table, bringing him up short. He desperately tries to free it, batting Arthur away when he tries to help. Cenred tugs and tugs at it until it snaps free, jerking the table and upsetting Arthur's coffee cup. Hot, dark liquid cascades in a soggy mess all over Arthur’s crotch.

Merlin tries not to smirk at the expression on Cenred’s face as Arthur, enraged, tells him exactly where to go, and where to put his coffee, and the offending pendant while he’s at it.

“You’re an idiot, Cenred,” Arthur fumes. “Of all the clumsy, imbecilic, self-absorbed twats it has been my misfortune to date, you take the biscuit. These are my best trousers! Piss off, dickhead. Oh, and tell my sister to stop setting me up on blind dates with losers who are more concerned about their twitter profile than the person they’re supposed to be with. Jeez.”

Merlin feels like high-fiving him.

Cenred’s face turns purple. He stalks away and exits the shop, _pronto_. He’s angrily thumbing something into his phone while he goes. Probably tweeting about the drama. Knob-end.

Merlin rushes over with his drying cloth, kneels down and dabs at Arthur’s damp crotch. He maps out its fascinating contours, bumps and divots. He takes his time, and is possibly a little bit over-thorough.

Arthur does not protest. From where Merlin’s kneeling he has a close-up view of a damn good—and growing—reason why not. It makes his mouth water.

Still on his knees, he grasps Arthur by the back of one firm thigh and pulls him closer to examine the stain. His tongue flicks out of the corner of his mouth.

“Want to lick it up?” says Arthur, sounding a little bit hoarse.

“Nah, like I said, I don’t like coffee.”

“Shame.”

There’s a pause while Merlin thinks about that for a second. He dabs a bit more.

“I like you though,” he says. He rocks back on his heels and lets his gaze travel slowly up Arthur’s body to his face. “Quite a lot.”

Arthur gulps. “Saucy,” he says in a croaky voice. “The feeling’s mutual. In case you haven’t noticed.”

Merlin locks eyes with Arthur, licks his lips and is gratified by Arthur’s sharp intake of breath.

Arthur hauls Merlin to his feet. “I tell you what. When you finish here, why don’t we go for a… cup of… tea?” His face is close enough for Merlin to feel its heat.

Merlin nods breathlessly, heart thumping. He checks his watch. It’s getting late; the coffee shop is emptying, and Freya’s wiping down the tables.

“I finish quite soon, in fact,” he says. He walks back to the counter, walks under the lifted flap. “Just gotta wipe down the coffee machine.” He slides a cloth across its chrome surfaces and polishes it until it gleams.  

Arthur sits on the countertop and admires the coffee machine while Merlin works.

“We have this machine to thank for getting rid of that pompous arse, Cenred,” he says. “And it makes the most amazing coffee.” It has an etched figure of a dragon on its side. Arthur traces it with a curious finger. The machine makes a small sound, almost like a contented exhale, and a little steam escapes from its spout.

Merlin grins. He turns to Arthur, removing his apron.

“I think he likes you,” he says. “Quite a lot.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” says Arthur, with a lopsided smile.

~end~


End file.
